Rotary engine.



PATENTED JAN, 30, 1906. P. J. DECKER.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLIDATIOH FILED SEPT. 29,1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED JAN. 30, 1906.

P. J. DECKER.

ROTARY ENGINE.

PATENTED JAN. 30, 1906.

P. J. DECKER. ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 29. 1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

IHIIIII Him AJ H J unrrn' FICE.

PHILLIP JOHN DECKER, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

ROTARY ENGlNE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 30, 1906.

Application filed September 29, 1905. Serial No. 280,611.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PHILLIP J OI-IN DECKER, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to rotary fluid engines or motors. Its object is to provide a simple, compact, practical, and reversible rotary engine of high efficiency.

The invention consists of the parts and the construction and the combination of parts, as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, having reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of my improved engine. Fig. 2 is a section on line X X, Fig. 1, omitting the piston. Fig. 3 is a partial plan and section on the irregular line A A, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a section on the irregular line B B, Fig. l, with parts broken away to show a vane and its operating-lever 23. Fig. 5 is a perspective of a vane and its operating means.

A represents a suitable base, and 2 is a cylinder or casing, here shown as cast inte-,

gral with the base. This casing is provided with the removable heads 3 1, and a collar 5 seats against the head 4 and the adjacent end of the cylinder 2, the cylinder, the heads, and the collar being firmly united by suitable means, as the bolts 6. Within the cylinder is the rotary piston 7, keyed to the shaft 8, which is arranged concentric with the pistonehamber and suitably supported at opposite ends of the cylinder in the boX 9, and the journal-nut 10, which screws into the collar 5. The piston 7, which is concentric with its chamber, is also of lesser diameter than said chamber, so as to leave a suitable annular space between the periphery of the piston and the interior of the cylinder or'casing. This space is divided into a plurality of compartments 12 by the radial abutments 13, formed integral with or carried by the casing and extending parallel with the shaft 8. The piston has a snug sliding fit with the ends of all the abutments or ribs 13, and the machining and arrangement of all the parts are such that no steam or other motive fluid will escape from one compartment to another. Each compartment is provided with an. exhaust port or ports 14 at each end and proXimate to a division rib or abutment 13, these ports all opening outward through the wall of the pistonchamber into the annular ex-' ted, as at 1.7, to accommodate the abutments 13 and adapted to be shifted so as to cover the exhaust-ports 14 at one end of the compartments 12 and correspondingly to uncover the exhaust-ports at the other end of the compartments. The compartment-spaces 12 between the piston and ring 16 constitute expansion-chambers for the impelling fluid, and their number and size, like the several other parts and features of the apparatus, may be varied according to the size of the engine and the work that it is intended to'perform. For convenience of illustration I have shown the engine with four compartments.

The inlet of the impelling medium to the compartments 12 is through the divided ports 18 in the head 4. Each port is arranged proximate to an abutment and is branched so as to discharge into either chamber flanking this abutment.

The head 1 is provided with an annular groove on its inner face, into which groove the inlet-ports 18 open, and the ring 16 has an inwardly-projecting annular flange 19 seating in. this groove and suitably constructed soas to cover one set of inlet-ports and correspondingly uncover another set of inletports when the ring is shifted in one direction,

and vice versa. The opposite edge of the ring 16 is adapted to seat and turn in a suitable annular guide-groove in the opposite head 3.

The piston 7 is provided with a plurality of radially-disposed radially-movable vanes or blades 20, which are adapted to move in close contact with the interior of the ring 16 between an inlet-port and a corresponding exhaust-port and to be retracted. within the piston at each approach to and passage over an abutment. The number of vanes are preferably less than the number of compartments 12, so that some one or more compartments will be taking steam when others are exhausting, thereby avoiding dead-centers and giving greater smoothness to the running of the engine under load.

The piston is preferably made in sections held together by the screws 21, these sections being suitably channeled out to form internal housings for the stems 22 of the vanes and the rocker-arms 23, to which the stems are loosely connected. Each rocker arm 23, which actuates a corresponding vane 20, is secured to a rock-shaft 24, journaled in the piston and extending parallel with the axis 24 thereof and projecting into an annular space 25, inclosed between the head 3 and the adj acent end of the piston. This projecting end of the rock-shaft is provided with a crankarm 26, carrying a roller 27, running in the cam-groove 28 on the inside of the head 3. The character of this groove 28 and the construction and assemblage of the several parts depend on the number of abutments 13 and on various other details of construction to be taken into consideration, it being understood that as the piston revolves each vane 20 will be reciprocated radially of the piston at suitable intervals by reason of the engagement of the roller 27 in the fixed cam-groove 28 to lift over an abutment to just clear the latter and to be projected outward again close to the other side of the abutment, the vane during the major part of its travel between the abutments being projected across a chamber 12 and into close slidin contact with a ring 16.

The impelling fluid is admitted periodically into the chambers 12 through the ports 18 from the annular passage 29, formed in the collar 5. Admission from the passage 29 to the port 18 is controlled by an oscillating valve 30, here shown as having its stem arranged radial, or substantially so, to shaft 8 and adapted to be rocked in one direction to open communication between the passage 29 and port 18 and to cut off this communication when rocked in the opposite direction. The stem of each valve is provided with an arm 31, which has a roller projection fitting a circumferential cam-grpove 32 on the periphery of cam 33, w 'ch is mounted on shaft 8 and normally turnable therewith. Each inlet-port has its own valve, and the character of the cam-groove 32 and the rotation of the piston are such that the several valves will be rocked in proper sequence to admit the impelling fluid to the chambers 12 at the moment the respective vanes are beginning their traverse of the chambers. It is the expansion of the fluid against the vanes that gives motion to the piston. At any suitable point before exhaust from a particular chamber 12 the inlet-valve for this chamber will be rocked in a reverse direction by cam 33 to cut off the fluid and allow the lat ter to act expansively.

An important feature of this en ine is that it is reversible. This is not usual in rotary engines as far as I am aware. The reversing of the engine is done by shifting ring 16 to cover the inlet-port at one end of a chamber 12 and open that at the other end, simultaneously closing the exhaust-port at the end opposite to the previously open inlet-port and opening the exhaust-port at this end, so that intake will always be at one end and exhaust from the other end of a chamber. Since the forked ports 18 are adapted to open into either of two chambers divided by an abutment 13 on the oscillation of ring 16, it will be seen that the ring will close the branch opening into one chamber and open that branch which discharges into the adjacent chamber, and inasmuch as the operation for all the chambers is the same as for any one it will be seen that proper change in all the inlet and exhaust ports will take place. Consequently if the imp elling medium is now admitted into the chambers expansion will be in the direction opposite to what it was before the ring 16 was oscillated and the piston will be caused to rotate in'a corresponding direction.

Any suitable means may be employed to oscillate the ring 16. I have here shown a lever 34, operating in a suitable radial opening in the casing and connected with the ring. This radial passage-way for the lever 34 is suitably partitioned off from the exhaust-passage 15, and the fitting of the ring 16 in the cylinder is such that no leak can take place out around the lever.

In order that the operation of the inletvalves 30 may correspond to the changed position of the ring, so as to admit the fluid at the proper moment behind the vanes, I have shown a means by which the position of the cam 33 on shaft 8 may be suitably shifted to produce the desired result. This cam is here shown as capable of a limited sliding movement on the shaft 8 and is locked thereto by means of the fixed lugs or projections 35, engaging in one or the other of the sets of re cesses 36 in the end of the cam which abuts against the head 4. When the cam is pushed up against the head 4 and the lugs 35 engaged with one set of recesses 36, it is adapted to open the valves, so that they will admit fluid into the compartments on one side of all the abutments, and when the lugs 35 are engaged with the other set of recesses 36the valves will be operated synchronously to admit fluid to the opposite side of the abutments. The shifting of this cam on the shaft may be accomplished by any appropriate means. As here shown the outer end of cam is provided with a circumferential groove 37 and a circumferential rack 38.

39 is a sleeve journaled in the part 10 and carrying the segment 40 at its inner end and the operating-lever 41 at its outer end. The segment 40 is arranged just out of interfer ence with the cam and gear 38 when the cam is in normal operating position against the head 4, but is so disposed relative to the gear or rack 38 that when the cam is moved away from head 4 to disengage the lugs 35 the rack 38 may be brought into mesh with the segment 40, whereupon by the rocking of the lever 41 the cam will be correspondingly rocked to carry one or the other sets of perforations or recesses 36 into register with the lugs 35. The reciprocation of the cam on the shaft is done by means of an arm 42 on a spindle 43, which is turnable and slidable in the sleeve 39. The reciprocation of the spindle is done by the hand lever 44 and connections 45. The shaft 8 is shown as transversely slotted, as at 46, to receive a cross-head or crossbar 47, adapted to bear on the end of the cam to press in normally against the head 4. The end of the shaft is cored out to receive a helical spring 48, adjustable by means of the tension-nut 49 and engaging a central boss 50 centrally of the cross-head 47.

The operation of the engine is as follows: The impelling fluid from any'suitable source is admitted into the annular passage 29, passing thence through such of the valves as may be opened into the uncovered inlet ports and into the expansion-chamber 12. Within these chambers the fluid operates on the projecting vanes and against the abutments 13 to rotate the piston. The inlet-valves being all operated from the single cam 33 are opened and closed at the proper intervals, while the several vanes are retracted, by means of the stationary cam 28 and the rollers 27, just as the vanes pass over the open exhaust-ports to clear the abutinents and are projected outward again into the succeeding chambers-im mediately on passing over the open intakes.

In order that there may be no dead-centers in this engine, I employ a number of vanes different from the number of abutments, so that all the vanes may not be retracted at any one time. In the present instance I have shown four abutments and three vanes, and the arrangement is such that there will always be force acting on at least two of the vanes.

Whenever it is desired to change the direction of the running of the piston and shaft, a simple manipulation of the levers 34, 41, and. 44 in the manner previously indicated will result in any desired change in direction of the piston and shaft.

It is possible that various modifications in my invention may be made without departing from the principle thereof, and I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the specific construction as herein shown and described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1.. In an engine, a casing, a shaft, a rotary piston concentric with and of lesser diameter than the casing, abutments on one of said parts dividing the space between the casing and piston into a plurality of compartments, said compartments being provided. with double sets of inlet and exhaust ports, a shiftable member having double sets of ports registerable with said inlet and exhaust ports whereby the direction of operation of the engine may be reversed, radiallyunovable vanes carri ed by the other part, and means for moving said vanes into and out of the path of said abutments.

2. In a rotary engine, a casing, a shaft, a rotary piston, said piston and easing inclosing an annular space, abutments on the easing dividing said space into a plurality of compartments, said compartments being provided with double sets of inlet and exhaust ports, a shiftable member operating in the compartments and having double sets of ports registerable with said inlet and exhast ports whereby the direction of operation of the engine may be reversed, radial reciprocal vanes carried by the piston, and means for moving said vanes into and out of the path of said abutments.

3. In a rotary engine, a casing, a shaft, a rotary piston, said piston and easing inclosing an annular space, abutments on the casing dividing said space into a plurality of compartments, radially-reciprocal vanes carried by the piston, means for moving said vanes into and out of the path of said abutments, and means for admitting an impelling medium to and exhausting it from said compartments to operate the shaft in either direction, said means comprising a shiftable member having double sets ofports cooperating with double sets of inlet and exhaust ports in the ends of the compartments.

4. In an engine, a casing, a shaft, a rotary piston concentric with and of lesser diameter than the casing, abutments on one of said parts dividing the space between the casing and piston into a plurality of compartments, radially-movable vanes carried by the other part, means for moving said vanes into and out of the path of said abutments, and means for admitting an impelling medium to and exhausting it from said compartments to operate the shaft in either direction, said means comprising a shiftable member having double sets of ports cooperating with double sets of inlet and exhaust ports in the ends of the compartments.

5. In a rotary engine, a casing, a shaft, a rotary piston carried thereby, said piston and casing inclosing an annular space divided in the direction of the length of the shaft .into a plurality of compartments, said compartments having double sets of inlet and exhaust ports radially-movable vanes carried by the piston, said vanes of lesser number than the number of said compartments, a fixed cam for operating saidvanes, and means .for admitting and exhausting an impelling IIO medium to and from said compartments, said means including an axially-shiftable member having double sets of ports registerable with the said inlet and outlets of the compartments.

6. In a rotary engine, a casing, a shaft, a rotarypiston carried thereby, said piston and casing inclosin an annular space divided in the direction 0 the length of the shaft into a plurality of compartments said compartments having double sets of inlet and exhaust ports, radially-movable vanes carried by the piston, said vanes of lesser number than the number of said compartments, a fixed cam for operating said vanes, and means for admitting and exhausting an impelling medium to and from said compartments to operate the shaft in either direction, said means including a shiftable member concentric with the shaft and provided with double sets of ports registerable with the said inlet and exhaust ports of the compartments.

7. In an engine, a casing, a shaft, a rotary piston, said piston and casing inclosing an annular space, and abutments extending parallel with the shaft and disposed tangential to the piston and dividing said space, said abutments being disposed at equal distances around the circumference of the casing, and each compartment of said casing having an exhaust-port at each end proximate to an abutment and communicating with said annular space, a radially-movable vane carried by the piston, and means for operating said vane to carry it into and out of the path of said abutments.

8. In an engine, a casing, a shaft, a rotary piston, said piston and casing inclosing an annular space, an abutment extending parallel with the shaft and disposed tangential to the piston and dividing said space, said abutments being disposed at equal distances around the circumference of the casing, and each compartment of said casing having an exhaust-port at each end proximate to an abutment and communicating with said annular space, a radially-movable vane carried by the piston, and means for operating said vane to carry it into and out of the path of said abutments, said last-named means including a stationary cam, and a rocker-arm carried by the piston and connected with the vane and engaging said cam.

9. In an engine, a casing, a shaft, a rotary piston, said piston and casing inclosing an annular space, an abutment on the casing extending parallel with the shaft and disposed tangential to the piston and dividing said space, a radially-movable vane carried by the piston, means for operating said vane to carry it into and out of the path of said abutments, said casing having exhaust-ports and inlet-ports on both sides of said abutments, and means includinga shiftable member with double sets of ports registerable with the said inlet and exhaust ports, for covering one set of said inlet and exhaust ports and correspondingly uncovering the other set. i

10. In an engine, the combination of a casing, a shaft, a rotary piston thereon, said piston and easing inclosing an annular space divided into a plurality of compartments, radial vanes on the piston, means for retracting said vanes within the piston and for projecting said vanes outwardly into said compartments, said compartments provided with double sets of inlet and exhaust ports, a ring concentric with the casing and having ports registerable with said inlet and exhaust ports, and means for shifting said ring to cover one set of said inlet and exhaust ports and uncover another set.

11. In an engine the combination of a casing, a shaft, a rotary piston thereon, said piston and casing inclosing an annular space divided into aplurality of compartments, vanes carried by the piston and operating in said compartments, said compartments having inlet-ports, valves controlling the admission of fluid through said ports, and means including a single shiftable cam on the shaft to operate said valves synchronously and to vary the time of operation of the valves.

12. In an engine the combination of a casing, a shaft, a piston thereon, said piston and casing inclosing a space divided in the direction of the length of the shaft into a plurality of compartments, vanes carried by the piston and operating in said compartments, said compartments having exhaust and inlet ports, valves in said inlet-ports, a cam on the shaft, and connections between the shiftable cam and valves to operate the latter synchronously and to vary the time of operation of the valves.

13. In an engine the combination of a casing, a shaft, a piston thereon, said piston and casing inclosing a space divided in the direction of the length of the shaft into a plurality of compartments, vanes carried by the piston and operating in said compartments, said compartments having exhaust and inlet ports, valves in said inlet-ports, a cam on the shaft, connections between the cam and valves to operate the latter synchronously, and means for shifting the position of the cam on the shaft to alter the time of operation of said valves.

14. In an engine the combination of a casing, a shaft, a piston thereon, said piston and casing inclosing a space divided in the direction of the length of the shaft into a plurality of compartments, vanes carried by the piston and operating in said compartments, said compartments having exhaust and inlet ports, valves in said inlet-ports, a cam on the shaft, connections between the cam and ITO Valves to operate the latter synchronously, In testimony whereof I have hereunto set said camhaving a sliding movement lengthmy hand in presence of two subscribing W1t- Wise of the shaft and capable of a limited ronesses.

tary movement independent thereof, means PHILLIP JOHN DECKER. 5 for eflecting the reciprocation and oscilla- Witnesses:

tion of the cam, and means for looking it to S. H. N CURSE,

the shaft, D. B. RICHARDS 

